Fishhook covers



April 12, 1960 H. w. ca. JEND FISHHOOK COVERS Filed Dec. 12, 1958 INVENTOR. fii/wrr W6. Jz-wa BY v United States Patent This invention relates to a cover for fishhooks. One

of the annoyances encountered by a typical fisherman results from the entanglement of fishhooks, more particularly snelled fishhooks, in the tackle box. The principal object of this invention is to provide a neat and highly efiicient cover which can be quickly slipped in place over each individual fishhook to prevent entanglement of the hooks in the tackle box and which will retain its protective position during rough usage.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the fishhook cover that it can be quickly and easily snapped in place over the fishhook simply by the feel of the fingers so that it may be readily placed in position on the hook and removed therefrom in the dark.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efiiciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is bad. to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates a metal blank from which the improved fishhook cover is formed;

Fig. 2 illustrates the blank of Fig. 1 after a first forming operation has been performed thereon;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the blank of Fig. 2 folded to form a complete fishhook cover;

Fig. 4 is a left edge view of the cover of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a right edge view thereof;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section, therethrough, taken on the line 6-6, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on line 7-7, Fig. 4 illustrating a conventional fishhook in place therein.

In Fig. 7 a conventional fishhook has been illustrated at 20 with its point at 22 and its snell at 21.

The blank from which the improved fishhook cover is formed is stamped from a sheet of metal of any suitable, non-corrosive variety, such as, bronze or stainless steel or half-hard brass to form a blank having the contour shown in Fig. 1. The blank consists of two side cheek portions 10 and 11 of corresponding contour but of opposite hand.

Each cheek portion is shaped to provide a semi-circular outer edge from which the upper edge inclines upwardly to a medial upper notch 12. The bottom edge of each cheek portion inclines inwardly and upwardly to a bottom notch 13 therebeing one notch 13 in each cheek portion. The two notches are separated by a medially-positioned downwardly projecting tongue 16. The circular outer edges of the cheek portions 10 and 11 have a smaller radius on their upper portions than on their lower portions so as to form a projecting edge 14 around the bottom of each cheek portion.

The blank of Fig. l is stamped so as to fold the projecting edges 14 upwardly along a fold line, as indicated in Fig. 1 by the broken line 15, so as to form an upstanding edge flange 17 about the lower periphery of each Patented Apr. 12, 1260 .2 7 check portion, as shown in Fig. 2. During the stamping operation, the lower surface of the blank is indented upwardly at spaced points adjacent the inclined upper edges thereof to form two protuberances 18 in each of the cheek portions 10' and 11.

The formed blank of Fig. 2 is then folded along a medial fold line, such as indicated at 19' in Fig. 2, on an arcuate fold 19 to bring the two cheek portions into spaced, parallel relation, as shown in Fig. 4, with the protuberances 18 of the left cheek portion 10 aligned with the protuberances 18 of the right cheek portion 11 and with the flanges 17 of the two wing sections in aligned contact with each other with the tongue 16 overlying the contacting flanges, as shown in Fig. 7.

It can be readily seen that if the improved holder is held in one hand and the fishhook 20 is held in the other hand, the point 22 of the hook can be readily inserted between the spaced cheek portions 10. and 11 rearwardl'y of the protuberances 18 and forced downwardly between the cheek portions. The book can then be swung for wardly to snap the shankof the hook past the aligned protuberances 18 which will act to resiliently retain the shank in place upon theconnecting fold 19 of the holder, as shown in Fig. 7. The cheekportions 10 and 11 resiliently engage the sides of the hook to retain it snugly in place. The resiliency of the metal from which the holder is formed allows the hook to bereadily rotated and snapped past the pro-tuberances 18 to remove it from or replace it in the'holder. As the hook is rotated to and from the retained position, the rounded extremity of the book will ride against the closed flanges 17 to prevent damage to the hook. The tongue 16 securely seals the flanges 17 to the fold 19 of the holder so that the point of the hook cannot engage or protrude from the holder.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

A holder for fishhooks comprising two metallic, cheek portions joined together by an arcuately bent fold and extending in parallel spaced relation, said cheek portions having semi-circularly curved side'and bottom edges; an inwardly extending flange formed on each cheek portion and extending inwardly from said side and bottom edges, the longitudinal edges of the flanges of the two cheek portions aligning with and abutting each other to maintain said check portions in parallel relation and to form a closed bottom in said holder, the top of the latter being open; protuberances formed on each said check portion in alignment with, and extending inwardly toward, each other to partially and resiliently close the open top thereof; and a tongue projecting from said arcuately bent fold and overlying the contacting flanges of the cheek portions, said tongue having a width corresponding to the spacing of said cheek plates so as to fit snugly therebetween.

References Cited in the file of'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 786,352 Frost Apr. 4, 1905 2,095,048 Aikins Oct. 5, 1937 5 2,165,708 a Jend July 11, 1939 2,703,467 Shepherd Mar. 8, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 277,551 Switzerland Sept. 15, 1951 

